I hear and I forget, I do and I understand, I see and I remember

Tag Archives: Central Asia

One of Central Asia’s largest domed mosques honors Khawaja Akmed Yesevi, the 12th-century Sufi mystic whose poetry and writings had a tremendous impact throughout that part of the world. It was commissioned in 1390 by Tamerlane, the Turkic conqueror, to honor Yesevi and serve as his mausoleum. The mosque was built in eight independent sections, which has helped it survive numerous earthquakes. the building measures 47.5 x 65.6 meters (152 x 215). Its walls are 2 meters (6.5 feet) thick and the central hall walls are 3 meters (10 feet) thick. The dome is 37.5 meters (123 feet) high and 18.2 meters (60 feet) in diameter. These elegant niche-like decorations just below the mausoleum’s dome are known as Muqarnas. They are an Islamic invention that reached a zenith around the 13th century. the delicate and soaring designs evoke Yesevi’s transcendent and complex poetry as well as the mystical ideas of Sufism. It is located in Turkestan in southern Kazakhstan.

This image will is part of the collection “Art Within Architecture” on exhibit during my open studio at Art Central this Saturday, June 30, 2018, 11 am to 4 pm.

If you’re unable to come to the opening on Saturday feel free to contact me to set up a time to come by and see the prints. If you’re out of town but would like to buy a print write me about sizes and prices.

Kazakhstan is dotted with 48,000 lakes, many small like this mirror-surfaced one at Ush-Konyr near Fabrichny

Lake Ush-Konyr is a one of my favorite places with no power lines in sight, silent and serene. Kazakhs consider lakes the eyes of the sky.

Kazakhstan is a place of irony. Some of the worst man-made disasters; Aral Sea and Polygon have occurred in Kazakhstan. Some of the most beautiful and pristine places on earth are to be found in Kazakhstan.

On December 16, 1991, Kazakhstan emerged from a long and challenging period under Soviet rule. Over the past 20 years the country has blossomed in what can be described as the Kazakh Renaissance, a demonstration of the enduring spirit of the Kazakh culture. I celebrate this anniversary with a selection of images from the book, The Soul of Kazakhstan. The collection showcases Kazakhstan’s people, history, culture and land. They will be posted on my WordPress blog over the coming days leading up to the anniversary.

Photographs by Wayne Eastep in the exhibit "Of Gold and Grass" Mingei Museum, San Diego, CA

Photographs by Wayne Eastep in the exhibit “Of Gold and Grass” Mingei Museum, San Diego, CA

Map of Kazakhstan created by Bill McCaffery for the book, The Soul of Kazakhstan

A stamped and engraved gold plaque on the Golden Warrior’s headdress features mountains and a snow leopard. He was a 5th century B.C. Saka chieftain

“While researching for the book The Soul of Kazakhstan in the New York Public Library, I came across a letter Natllya Sedova, Leon Trotsky’s wife, wrote home while exiled in Almaty. She exclaimed about the beauty of a late spring snow blanketing the tulips. As good fortune would have it, my apartment was across from where the Trotskys lived. On a spring day in April, I was treated to the same beautiful sight” – W.E.

It took Kaineke Zarykpai-Kyzy Kanapyanova two years to create this embroidered-felt Tuskiiz. She made it as a wedding gift for her son, Nurgazy, in 1973. When I told her she was a master like the artists in Japan called “National Treasurers,” she said, “Thank you.” After a pause she asked, “Will you put that in your book?”

Kazakh Steppe Horses

The opening at the top of a Kazakh yurt is called a Shangiraq. The circle represents the circle of life and the cross marks the cardinal points.